Will Montana Get to See the Total Lunar Eclipse and Supermoon Sunday?

In western Montana, it doesn't look too promising for clear skies Sunday night, but let's hope for the best.

We are about to experience a pretty cool total lunar eclipse and supermoon combo. The moon, earth and sun will line up for the only total lunar eclipse until over two years from now. And it should be a dandy, because at the same time, the moon will be ever-so-closer to Earth and appear slightly bigger and brighter than usual - a supermoon.

The kiddos shouldn't have to stay up too late to start experiencing things. The eclipse begins this Sunday night (January 20) at 8:34 Mountain Time, when Earth's shadow begins to cover the moon. Totality - when Earth's shadow completely blankets the moon - will last 62 minutes and begin at about 9:41 p.m.

During totality, you can get that "blood moon" effect because of sunlight scattering off Earth's atmosphere. So if you want to get real deep, this one can be referred to as a blood wolf moon, or great spirit moon.

No special viewing equipment is needed for a lunar eclipse. Somebody do a chase-the-clouds-away dance Sunday night so we can all enjoy.